Traditions
by teammccord
Summary: Post 2x17 "Higher Learning"
_A/N: Yep, this is ridiculously late, since the episode aired last week, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head! All the McCord's needed some quality family time, and we all needed some fluff. Enjoy, and reviews make my day :)_

* * *

Elizabeth McCord opened the front door to their house. She, Stevie and Alison entered with their suitcases in tow, exhausted but happy after their trip to Rafferty College. The girls immediately went upstairs to unpack, and Elizabeth was left in the foyer. She hung up her coat and took off her boots before wandering into the kitchen to see where Henry and Jason were.

They both sat on the sofa next to the kitchen, absorbed by their laptops, and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. Henry turned his head then, he'd noticed her come in, and broke out into a grin. Before he could say anything, she had put her finger up to her mouth to keep him quiet, pointing over at Jason. Henry caught on quickly, and winked at her before seemingly returning to his work. She snuck over to the couch as quietly as she could, padding across the hardwood floor in just her socks, and stopped just short of her son's back. Quick as a wink, she placed her hands over his eyes, and before he had time to react, she whispered "Guess who?"

"Mom," Jason groaned, pushing her hands away, "not funny."

"I thought it was very clever," Henry chimed in as Jason rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," she replied and walked over to kiss his forehead. "I missed my boys when we were away!"

"We missed you," Henry said, and made room for her to sit down between them. "Where are Ali and Stevie? We got dinner ready for when you guys came home."

"Upstairs, unpacking, and probably talking about boys."

"Typical," Jason remarked, and Elizabeth laughed, ruffling his hair. "Mom!" he exclaimed for the second time that evening, smoothing his hair down to its original shape.

Stevie and Alison emerged soon thereafter, and Henry hugged them both while Jason waved lazily from his corner. "Is there dinner?" Stevie asked.

"Oui, Chez McCord has some lovely curry waiting on the stove for your very arrival," Henry joked in a horrible French accent, causing his entire family to break out into peals of laughter.

"God, we're such dorks," Alison commented.

"But hungry dorks," Stevie added, "let's go eat!"

…

Gathered around the dinner table, Elizabeth surveyed her family. They were chatting, laughing and all blissfully happy. She was so grateful for them, for keeping her grounded even when the world outside was spinning out of control. She knew that she could come home to this house, and just be herself, be there for Henry and their kids, and have no other obligations. Lost in her train of thought, she was startled when Henry addressed the whole table.

"So Noodle, how did you like Rafferty?"

"I liked it, the people are nice — well the ones that didn't ambush us at least. And the fashion program looks super cool. It's going on the list, that's for sure."

"The campus looks great, and the kids seem committed to actually studying," Stevie chimed in.

"But they have fun too," Alison added, giving Stevie a knowing look.

"What kind of fun?" Jason asked.

"Oh, we went to a poetry reading," Stevie bluffed, continuing the cover story for the party Alison had snuck out to, and shot her sister a look.

"Yeah, it was great," Ali said, having caught on. "A kid even did a slam poetry piece."

"Lame," Jason commented, "but if it works for you…"

"I'm glad the trip wasn't a total disaster then," Elizabeth said, grateful the protesters and welcome committee hadn't ruined everything.

"No mom, it was fun! Especially the late night sledding competition," Alison said, grinning. "Stevie and I totally kicked butt, by the way. You wiped out so many times!"

As the girls all started laughing, Henry looked over at them, clearly confused. "Sledding?"

"Tray sledding dad," Stevie explained, "all the college students do it before finals."

"Oh I know," Henry said, a gleam in his eyes. "Your mother and I have mad tray sledding skills."

"Wait what? You guys used to go tray sledding?" Alison asked.

"When we were young, and reckless," Elizabeth laughed, "and it snowed at UVA."

"Do tell," Stevie said, curious to hear what her parents got up to.

…

 _It was close to the end of the winter semester at UVA, and everyone was looking forward to two weeks of break. Elizabeth was spending almost all of her time in the library, studying for finals, and had barely noticed the snow falling down outside, turning the campus into a true winter wonderland just in time for Christmas. Henry had been working on some final things for Professor Johnson, and was wrapping up his own paper in the archives. After a good few hours of working, he decided he deserved a break, and so did Elizabeth. He knew she was at the library, studying and had been there all day. If he didn't come and drag her outside, she wouldn't take a break until she fell asleep, and probably miss dinner._

 _Henry entered the library to find_ _Elizabeth in an alcove in the corner, her nose buried in books and piles of notes. She looked a bit frazzled, and scrunched up her face as she held up a notebook, trying to decipher what she had written on the page. When she felt someone walking up to her, she lifted her head and saw Henry. She immediately brightened and smiled at him._

 _"_ _What are you doing here?" she asked, as he bent down to kiss her._

 _"_ _I missed you," he said, "you've been holed up here all week."_

 _"_ _I have to study, all my professors seem to think their course and their final is the most important thing in our lives, so there's so much to learn. By the way, can you read this?" she asked, holding up the notebook. "It's supposed to be something about the Justice System, but I can't figure out what I wrote!"_

 _Henry stared down at the paper, trying to decipher her handwriting, to no avail. Usually it was neat and legible, but this could only be described as chicken scratch. He laughed and said:_ _"I'm sorry babe, this is beyond me. I think you need a break. Then you can look at it with fresh eyes."_

 _"_ _Henry, I can't afford a break now, there's so much to do!"_

 _"_ _Come on, it's quarter to seven. I'll have you back by seven thirty. It'll be fun!" He made puppy dog eyes at her, knowing she couldn't resist until she groaned and gave in._

 _"_ _Fine. Let me gather up my stuff."_

 _Henry dragged a still-reluctant_ _Elizabeth out of the library and to his apartment to borrow a scarf and gloves to go with the warm coat she was already wearing. Then he pulled his surprise out: two lunch trays._

 _"_ _Henry, are you crazy?" Elizabeth asked. "We're going tray sledding?"_

 _"_ _Yep! It'll be fun! Some of the guys found trays at lunch today and leant them to me. We just have to sneak them back into the cafeteria when we're done."_

 _They headed out to the hill behind the Lawn, where other students clearly had the same idea and were sledding on their own trays._ _Elizabeth looked at Henry warily as he sat down on his tray and motioned for her to do the same. Once they were both seated, they pushed off and started down the slope, gaining momentum in the fresh snow._

 _Elizabeth broke out into laughter as she barrelled down the hill, and her tray began to spin in circles. Henry's route had been faster, and he had already reached the bottom. He looked up at his girlfriend laughing and grinned — he knew this was a great idea. Besides, Elizabeth laughing was the most beautiful thing, and he relished in the fact that she had picked him, loved him and was now sledding toward him at full speed. She couldn't figure out how to stop the tray, so she slid directly into Henry, whose strong arms caught her easily._

 _"_ _Are you okay?" she asked, concerned their collision had hurt him._

 _"_ _I'm fine," he reassured her, kissing her softly._

 _"_ _You were right," she admitted, blushing, "this is fun."_

 _"_ _All right, now that you know the basics — I challenge you to a tray race."_

 _"_ _Challenge accepted, slugger," she said, shaking his hand and putting her game face on. They trekked back up the hill and got into their starting positions. "Ready?" she asked._

 _"_ _Always. 3, 2, 1, GO!"_

 _They pushed off and raced down the hill again, zigzagging in the snow. At one point, their trays were close together, and_ _Elizabeth reached out to grab Henry's hand as they slid down together. When they reached the bottom, he laughed. "Who won that?"_

 _"_ _I'd say it was a photo finish," she teased, and kissed his cheek. "Do you wanna race for real?"_

 _"_ _Only if you're prepared to lose."_

 _"_ _You wish!" Elizabeth called as she started up the hill again._

 _They went a few more times, before they were both so cold they had to head back inside._ _Elizabeth and Henry got hot chocolate and she thanked him for the break, before heading back to the library with newfound energy._

…

"Who ended up winning?" Jason asked once his mother was done with the story.

"Me," she answered with a smirk, "but your father will argue it was a tie till the day he dies."

"It totally was!" Henry protested with mock seriousness, and the whole family broke out into laughter again.

"Sure dad," Stevie chimed in. "When was the last time mom lost at something, other than chess?"

"Scrabble, the summer she was pregnant with Alison."

…

It had gotten late, and Henry and Elizabeth said goodnight to the kids and headed upstairs to go to bed. They changed and brushed their teeth in a comfortable silence, slipping under the covers together. Elizabeth settled against Henry's shoulder, and he pulled her close, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"I missed you," he mumbled into her hair. "But I'm glad you and the girls had a good time."

"I missed you too. I wished you could've come tray sledding with us." She fell silent then, letting the past few days wash over her again. "Apparently," she said, looking up at her husband, "Alison thinks I'm not 'fun' anymore. Has this job really made me not fun? Am I too cautious?"

"Did she tell you that?" Henry asked.

"Stevie did. She said I used to be fun, when we'd play cards together and I was spontaneous. And she's right, you know, I don't live up to the 'Merry McCord' name anymore."

"Babe, you're still fun — don't worry! It's not your fault this job is taxing," Henry tried to reassure her. "I mean, you took them tray sledding! That's all kinds of fun."

"Okay," she sighed, "I'm gonna take that."

He leaned down to kiss her then, to take her mind off of Alison's comment — he knew she'd wrack her brain about it otherwise. He snaked one hand around her waist and cupped her cheek with the other, pulling her close. She gave in to the kiss, pressing their bodies together and opening her mouth to give him access. They came up for air soon thereafter, panting. "See, that was fun," Henry teased.

"Hmm, I may need some more convincing," Elizabeth flirted, and captured his lips again.

…

After, they laid in a tangle of limbs and sheets, tired but utterly content. Henry's arms were wrapped around his wife, and she looked up at him, smiling.

"What's going on in that gorgeous head of yours?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just happy to be back, you know I hate sleeping alone."

"I do too."

"I love you, Henry," she said, drifting off to sleep.

"Love you too."

* * *

 _Fin._


End file.
